The Guardians of Lyoko
by Risa the Forsaken
Summary: XANA is destroyed; it's the end. They all make the decision. They're all one. The bond's forever eternal. My version of how Code Lyoko could have ended. Based off a dream I had when I finished watching the series. Review, please!


It was all over; XANA had finally been defeated.

Even though there was much reason for celebration, the group was sullen. None of them knew what would happen next. It was time, time to turn off and lock away the super computer once and for all. But not one of them could finalize this moment; they just couldn't do it. Though they all knew no good would come of keeping it running, no one could seal their past away.

Jeremie didn't want to lose what brought them all together. Before discovering the old abandoned factory, he was just looked at as some big-shot genius, and he was all alone. But after turning the computer on and discovering Lyoko, he finally had made real friends, who he could care for and be cared for by. He didn't want to shut down the computer because he was afraid the thing that had brought everyone together, once gone, would be the reason for them to separate and go different paths. He didn't want to lose his only reason and purpose, or his happiness. Jeremie didn't want to cut the cord, or be the one to cut it. And he also could never break what had tied his fate with Aelita's.

Odd knew he would be able to get back to reality once the super computer was shut down eventually, but he still wanted a little more time. He always enjoyed acting the hero and fighting against XANA. But he also felt he had an even deeper connection to Lyoko; he was a _Lyoko Warrior_. He would _always_ be a Lyoko Warrior. So he couldn't bear to watch the end of it.

Ulrich also liked playing the hero. He didn't want his adventures on Lyoko to end. After all, he made great friends and had fun; but more importantly, he had met and gotten much closer to Yumi than he ever would have been able to. He didn't want to sever a bond that meant so much to him. He also knew that, deep down, he'd never be the same after Lyoko disappeared.

Yumi felt that she had spent these two years of her life happily. Although she was relieved that XANA had finally been destroyed, she couldn't watch Lyoko go, either. She had gotten to fight alongside Ulrich and her friends, sharing adventure after adventure. It would be so hard for her to let go of something she had spent so much of her life doing. She didn't want to have to fight for the rest of her life restlessly, but she also didn't want to let everything go. Whenever she thought of the super computer being shut down, something would always draw her thoughts back to the good and successful moments there. She didn't want to let go, ever.

William, although his time on Lyoko had been short, not accounting XANA's possession of him, couldn't stand to see the end of it. He wanted to continue exploring, to keep fighting on, fighting for Yumi. But aside from his reasons concerned with Yumi, Lyoko had completely changed his outlook on life, and who he was inside. William didn't understand it very much, but he knew he wouldn't go on well without the existence of the virtual world. Another reason was that he was so alone at Kadic. He knew the group would eventually leave him, and he'd have no where else to go to. He wanted to stay connected, forever.

Aelita could never part from Lyoko. It was a place that had been her home for several unconscious years, and her last memories of seeing her father in the flesh. She knew that her father must still exist somewhere in the network, even if his virtual structure on Lyoko was lost. Even if she could never find him, she wanted to remain a part of the home, so many times she had thought of as a prison, and remain with it forever. Then, she would finally be truly connected with her father for the first time in so many years. She could not part with the world, or her friends who had journeyed through it, rescued her, and stayed with her for all this time. She knew something had to be done; she couldn't, and wouldn't, let the computer be shut down. Or at least, not just yet, and not in this way.

So she spoke, her voice quavering, as a last and frail hope. "Guys, I have an idea . . ." And she explained her plan to the others. After a few minutes, they had all agreed. They would forever be a part of Lyoko, until the end of time.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The plan was set; they were all on their way to where everything began: the forest sector. It was where Aelita had been trapped, where she had been saved, where her story had continued, and now where her story, and all of theirs, would come to an end.

Jeremie set up the virtualization process. He first sent Yumi, Ulrich, and William. He then set up a delayed virtualization and sent Odd, Aelita, and, surprisingly, himself. He would not abandon them; his first, successful, time on Lyoko would be his last. They all walked into the tower they were positioned a few feet next to, and sat down in a circle. Tears fell from each of their eyes and they held hands, linking themselves together and sealing their bond. Aelita had planned this, and they had all agreed.

Jeremie had set the foundation for the destruction of the super computer and of Lyoko. No one would ever find it, no one would ever take them from this place. The bombs were placed in the scanner room, the computer room, and on top of the super computer. Each was set to go off two minutes after the last virtualization, the very last one, had been completed. They each knew nothing had happened yet, but they all felt like they were slipping away, drifting away.

The bombs went off. Lyoko was fading fast; everything was disappearing. The tower, and themselves, were the last things left. They all kept their eyes clenched tight, their tears pouring like fountains. As they fell towards the digital void, and an eternity of nothingness, they kept their hands linked.

"The Eternal Guardians of Lyoko!" they shouted in unison, as they were consumed. Now, they would never be separated from Lyoko, or each other. They were forever the protectors of this sanctuary; they were forever part of it all.

Until and after the end of time, they would forever remain the Guardians of Lyoko.


End file.
